A silver animal head

Contributed by Treasure House

A silver animal head, gilded, with a gaping mouth and eye sockets that would once have been filled with glass or semi-precious stones. Tiny (only 1.6cm long), but delicately carved, it perhaps represents a mythical beast such as a dragon. The function of the object is unknown; but possibly it was a belt fitting. It dates to the Anglo-Saxon period, around 800-850AD and was found by metal detecting near Kilham, East Yorkshire, in 2003.

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Location
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Period

800 - 850 AD

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